You Need to Play Capcom’s Resident Evil Remake

Yesterday’s surprise announcement that Capcom will release the formerly GameCube and Wii exclusive Resident Evil reboot to newer consoles and PC was met with frenzied fist pumping from diehard fans. The gorgeous reimaging of the PlayStation classic is undoubtedly one of our top five all-time GameCube hits, standing tall among the likes of Super Smash Bros. Melee, F-Zero GX and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.  Not only did it retain the many elements that made its counterpart genre defining (those giant spiders are eight hairy legs of nope), but it also incorporated several new elements that made it feel somewhat fresh, beyond the jaw-dropping visuals.

You won’t play the game until early 2015, and when it finally debuts, we strongly suggest downloading this phenomenal adventure for your platform of choice, be it Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3 or PC.  Continue reading if you need further convincing.

Capcom’s Resident Evil remake looks gorgeous 

3D video game graphics don’t necessarily get better with age. Titles you deemed cutting edge several years ago often look primitive compared to modern games. While the GameCube Resident Evil did not improve over time, it still holds up 12 years later.  That’s a strong testament to the work Capcom poured into its baby, with a redesigned mansion that showcases full motion video (evident with lit candles), rooms overflowing the detail (dusty furniture, suits of armor, wallpaper) and various special effects, particularly shadows the lightning flashes as you wander past windows. Hook up component cables to the Wii and insert the GameCube disc, and you may struggle telling the difference between it and the one for Wii.  The fact that the HD rerelease will feature a scrolling camera instead of fixed perspectives should make the graphics even more immersive; wait until you see the giant snake.

OK we’ll just show you the snake. As for the Neptune, what’s a Neptune?

Here’s a look at Resident Evil on GameCube. Beware spoilers.

New content separates this game from the PlayStation edition

Aside from the visuals, the next reason to play through the Resident Evil remake is the wealth of new content, beginning with Crimson Head zombies.  These suckers play dead, and when you get close, quickly get up and give chase.  In other words, if you expect them to shamble along like the flesh-eating bozos you remember from the PS One, you’re already dead.

Beyond that, expect new areas to explore (the graveyard), particularly outside of the mansion, along with a mysterious character named Lisa Trevor. Who is this person, and how does she factor into the story? We can’t spoil this for you, because it’s one of the biggest moments of the game, and Capcom does an excellent job feeding you bits of information until the ultimate reveal.

All-new audio brings the terror shockingly close 

Creaky floorboards, zombie moans and other sounds will bring out the goose bumps.  In addition, Capcom re-recorded all of the dialogue, and the resulting character performances are less cheesy than the so-bad-it’s-great voice acting found in the PS One title; don’t worry, master of unlocking is still in there, sort of.  Considering the advancements in audio technology over the past decade, we can’t wait to fire up the sound bar for this game.  Thunder rumbling through the subwoofer? Let’s do this.

If you’re skeptical, remember that Nintendo only sold roughly 22 million GameCube systems worldwide, with Capcom selling an estimated 1.3 million copies of the Resident Evil remake; not sure about the Wii version.  Millions of people never played this game, and rereleasing it gives the title a third chance to be even more successful. That’s great news for gamers, and a franchise that could use some love; you’ll have the option to play it in 4:3 or 16:9.

With that in mind, expect plenty of scares when Resident Evil HD debuts next year.